Bryce AldertonCalvary Chapel of Costa Mesa’s Pony...

Bryce Alderton

Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa’s Pony baseball team could get used to

playing the Corona del Mar Pony Cardinals at Eastbluff Park.

Needing to win two games in two days to claim the Newport-Mesa

Pony baseball championship, the top-seeded Gold Eagles combined

clutch pitching with timely hitting that resulted in a 7-3 victory

over CdM -- the fourth seed -- Thursday.

“All the kids believed they could hit their ace pitcher [Michael

Kordich],” Calvary Coach Rick Dayton said. “We scored five runs off

[Kordich], which made a difference, along with a pitching staff that

has been awesome for us.”

Starter Jason Loftus allowed one run on three hits in three

innings while Vinnie Valdez scattered just two hits with no runs

while striking out seven in four innings to preserve the victory.

“Vinnie is a team player who pitches, catches, hits and plays in

the field,” Dayton said. “We’ve had some spotty defense and good

hitting to go with the pitching. These kids have heart. They never

felt like they were out of a game.”

CdM (20-7-1) led, 1-0, trailed, 5-1 after three innings, and cut

the lead to 5-3 before Calvary plated two runs in the top of the

sixth. Loftus and Valdez each had RBIs in the sixth.

Cardinals’ starting pitcher Michael Kordich, who struck out 11 in

five innings, connected for a solo home run to left-center field in

the sixth. Kelsey Chase, who threw one inning of relief and struck

out one, reached base on an intentional walk and later scored after a

Calvary outfielder dropped a fly ball.

The Cardinals would load the bases later in the sixth, only to

have Valdez strike out his third batter in the inning to stop the

rally.

CdM left nine runners on base -- the same as Wednesday -- when

Calvary won, 10-4.

Twice the Cardinals left the bases loaded and were victimized by a

triple play to end the second inning.

Ricky Townsend lifted a fly ball to right field, which was caught.

The fielder threw to first baseman Joel Stanton to pick off a CdM

runner who couldn’t retreat to the bag in time. Then, Stanton fired

to Valdez -- the catcher.

Valdez, standing about five feet up the baseline, held on to the

ball after he was knocked over by a CdM runner attempting to score.

The runner did not slide, prompting home plate umpire Philip

Baumfield to eject the Cardinal.

“Malicious contact, especially when the defensive player has

possession of the ball,” Baumfield said when asked why he ejected the

player. “He could have slid, or run around [Valdez]. Why crash into

him?”

CdM Coach Howard Kelly filed a protest with the league

commissioner and added that the ejection of a player in a

championship game put a damper on an otherwise “classic baseball

game.”

“I don’t like people taking out catchers,” Kelly said. “I just

came back from an all-star certification meeting where a district

official could find no rule when asked, ‘Does a runner have to slide

to avoid contact with the catcher?’ It is a shame to throw a kid out

of a championship game. It was a violent play, not a malicious one.”

The loss required Kelly to insert Alex Johnston at catcher until

the sixth inning, when he came out of the game, holding his wrist.

In came Michael Ford to relieve Johnston.

Ford usually plays shortstop.

“It is bad in the championship game when you have to ask, ‘Who

wants to wear the gear,’” Kelly said. “[Kordich] was throwing in the

mid-70s, so it was not a good time to experiment with the catching.

But hats off to Alex Johnston, who did a tremendous job for us.”

Ford led off with a single and later scored on Chase’s fly ball

that was dropped by the left fielder.

Kordich went 2 for 3 with a double with Regan Riley also hitting

for a two-bagger.

Tom Thomas walked twice and singled while batting in the sixth

slot.

Caleb Burgess, J.J. James, Stanton, Loftus, Valdez, Chris

Rigmaiden and Chad Belmont each scored for Calvary (22-4).